New Delhi, July 12 -- Pedagogy in many business schools draws part of its inspiration from non-business organizations and individuals to encourage unconventional strategic thinking.

A favourite is Chinese general and military strategist Sun Tzu, who authored the classical text on military strategy, The Art of War, some 2,500 years ago. Even Gordon Gekko quotes Sun Tzu in the movie Wall Street to justify dodgy stock-market trades.

Red Cross operations are widely studied for understanding logistics management or how to operate in stressful situations. Many case studies focus on skilled groupings, such as symphony orchestras or rowing crews, to draw lessons on teamwork, coordination and execution excellence.

These non-business models prob...